


Helping Hands

by infinitesimalll



Series: A Collection of Sasha/Niccolo [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:27:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitesimalll/pseuds/infinitesimalll
Summary: Only a few months had passed since the introduction of the Marleyan volunteers, and, unsurprisingly, tensions between said volunteers and Paradis residents hadn’t eased one bit. Each “volunteer” was given a job to do; said jobs ranged menial tasks such as cleaning & cooking to military duties such as gear prep & reinforcement. These assignments weren't options either. After all, refusal to cooperate resulted in jailtime. Niccolo wasn't ecstatic about being a slave to the island devils, but he definitely preferred the little freedom he had rather than no freedom.Dinner service has just finished up and, now, Niccolo realizes he's the only one there to clean up. Atleast, that's the case until a familiar she-devil offers assistance.
Relationships: Sasha Blouse/Niccolo, Sasha Blouse/Nicolo
Series: A Collection of Sasha/Niccolo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151216
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Helping Hands

The night's service had just finished up, and the brigade of soldiers Niccolo was forced to serve had just exited. Of course they left without any consideration towards the mess they had made. Niccolo figured they had made an extra mess just to _spite_ him for his Marleyan heritage. A scowl dusted his face as he began to collect the dirtied dishes, "Damn devils," he hissed under his breath, "leaving this mess behind for me to clean up.” It was frustrating to say the least. Tonight, Niccolo was the only one who bothered working. The others either were in jail for disobedience or left before they had to clean up. He mentally cursed his comrades as he used his foot to push in the strewn about chairs. "Do manners even exist here?" He asked sharply, furrowing his brows. Even the youngest of children were taught to push their chairs in after a meal! "Savages," he uttered in dismay as he continued his work.

“Mister Niccolo!” A feminine voice broke his train of angry mumbling. He lifted eyes to study the familiar figure of a particular Eldian devil that managed to make his chest tighten with anxiety. The she-devil by the name Sasha Blouse, one of the ‘heroes’ of Shiganshina. “Do you mind if I help?” She asked, a sweet smile rising as she began to collect dishes without waiting for his response. For a second, his stomach flip as she neared him. Why was an Eldian helping him out of her own free will? That wasn’t how it usually was. Back in Marley, Eldians were practically lesser beings who did the biddings of Marleyans to prove their worth and, at least, gain something out of it. Yet, this woman was offering to help do a tedious task with no visible goal. Why? Was there a hidden motive? There had to be, right? After all, Niccolo was raised and taught to believe her and her kind were nothing but scheming devils.

"Why?" He asked, holding back a disgruntled comment about her heritage.

She seemed surprised by his question, “What do you mean?” Her eyes were clouded with confusion as if she was trying to figure out why he was so reluctant. Niccolo figured the reason of his hesitance was obvious. Before he could respond, the confusion in her eyes dissipated into a hazy gratitude that made Niccolo’s chest tighten as she explained, “Well, it was good food, and I wanted to pay my respects to you and your brilliance by helping out…”

Why was his face heating up? It felt as if his ears were burning and his skin scorching as he made eye-contact with her. He felt the same way as he did when she first complimented him. Niccolo hated how fondly he thought of the event.

_"Niccolo is a master of Marleyan cuisine," Yelena had proclaimed to a group of those damned devils upon their first meeting. Niccolo could only mutter bitter words under his breath as he listened to the chatter surrounding him. His mind was occupied with hastily stirring the broth before him until strained shouts filled the air. His muttering of resentful words eventually trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder to see a ghastly sight. The brunette devil had seized the lobster in her hands and mercilessly tore it apart as if she were a famished wolf. Through chewed food and tears, she had shouted gleefully, "Mister Niccolo, you're a genius!" Initially, he was disturbed by the sight; however, her praise caused a faint blush to rise on his cheeks._

“A-ah,” he stumbled over his words as he mentally swatted the memory away. He responded with trembling hands and a gentle murmur, “okay.” Why did she make him like this? Was this some sort of devil’s spell cast onto him to make him obey every order?! He felt himself begin to panic.

Sasha made her way over to him, carrying an ungodly amount of stacked dishes with ease, “Are you alright, Mr. Niccolo? I can take those off you if it’s too much.” Was she mocking him? Was she hinting that he was weak? A small spark of irritation attempted to ignite until his eyes met hers. Her honey colored eyes glittered with genuine concern as she looked to him for an answer. Immediately, that anger was put out by the splash of… he still didn’t know how to describe the feeling.

“N-no,” he responded, straightening his posture, “I’m fine.”

Sasha scanned him, her warm and bright eyes sending shudders up his spine as she studied him. She didn't seem too convinced, but she still nodded and chirped, "Alrighty, I'll take these back to the kitchen then." With that, she pivoted and disappeared behind the double doors leading to the kitchen. Niccolo furrowed his brows as he gritted his teeth, the blush on his cheeks deepening as he internally scowled. How dare she come in here and turn him into some whining, obedient puppy?! His thinking was irrational, but he didn't acknowledge rationality within her presence. _Damn seductress,_ he spluttered through flustered thoughts as he collected the rest of the dishes before pursuing the she-devil.

  


* * *

  


At first, their time together in the kitchen was relatively silent aside from the occasional clink of plates and _swoosh_ of water.

Sasha was on washing duty while Niccolo was on drying duty. Her posture was relaxed; she wore a content smile as she scraped away at the plates. Once finished, she would either set them aside or hand them to Niccolo.

Niccolo, too, was fairly relaxed, at least... that was the case until their knuckles brushed during one exchange. The touch sent a sharp spark running up his arm. A spark that left him convinced that it could only be an Eldian's devilish magic. From that moment on, Niccolo was as tense as a wooden beam. A heavy shade of red dusted his cheeks; fortunately, the dim light of the candles bathed his features in an orange glow, disguising his flustered cheeks.

"Mister Niccolo," Sasha started with a low hum as she wiped suds from a plate, "I don't bite, you know?" Her warm, honeyed eyes briefly lifted to him; they were bright with a mischievous mirth as she added under her breath, "Except for that one time." He heard the way her voice cracked as she restrained a little snicker.

"That's... not very reassuring," Niccolo responded, shooting an intense glare towards the brunette. His reaction only strengthened her chuckle, ultimately turning what was a snicker into a boisterous chortle. Half of him wanted to scowl at her immaturity while the other half wanted to admire the way her lips curved upward while she laughed.

"It was only one time," she whined, handing him the final plate to dry. While he dried the plate, he caught a low mutter that resonated from her, "...shouldn't of tried to separate me from that delicious rack of meat." In a glance angled towards her, Niccolo saw the way her eyes were clouded with a haze. Was this normal when she talked about savagely biting people to get her way? In one way, it was terrifying, but it was also quite amusing.

Niccolo couldn't stop himself before he cautiously asked, "What happened?" He knew he was further digging his own grave by continuing conversation with such a devil. However, in those moments, he didn't seem to mind the whole heritage issue.

Sasha's eyes lit up with a mix of fury and delight as she loudly began to tell him the story, "We had a big ol' feast before our big mission to retake Wall Maria." Niccolo took note of how expressive she was with her hands. She wildly waved them about as she continued, her mouth visibly beginning to water, "We were served MEAT! MEAT!" She repeated, balling her fist up in a sign of happiness.

"Did you usually not eat meat?" He asked, setting the plate aside. Sasha explained, "Meat became a luxury after Maria fell 'cause we lost a big portion of our farmland." Her eyes seemed to darken as she continued, "Only the rich, important people ever really got to eat meat." Niccolo frowned and murmured, "Ah, I see."

"So...," she began once more, face getting flushed as she admitted, "since I hadn't seen meat in like years... I may have freaked out," her tone became a low whisper.

"By your definition, what does 'freaked out' mean?" Niccolo inquired, raising a brow.

"Well, I kinda blacked out so I'm going off of what I was told afterwards," Sasha rubbed the back of her neck, giving him an embarrassed laugh, "long story short? I punched two people and bit Jean."

Niccolo cracked a small smile as he chuckled, "I've got all night to hear your long story."

Sasha snickered, "Alright, then here we go."

  


* * *

  


For about an hour, Sasha described the event in great detail. She started with how the entire mess hall erupted into chaos; arguments started in every corner about how the meat would be split and who deserved a piece or two. Then, she ventured into the part of the story where she grabbed an _entire_ loaf of meat and chewed on it while in a chokehold. Niccolo was amused and horrified at the same time. Apparently, Jean had snatched the meat from her only to be bitten with the force of "Mikasa's blades" (Sasha's words, not his). Niccolo couldn't help but wonder if Sasha was secretly a rabid raccoon disguised as a human. Niccolo's terror was further strengthened when Sasha mentioned punching someone in the face and even punching _Mikasa _in the gut. Niccolo didn't know much about Mikasa aside from the fact she was a beast on the battlefield. He never saw her in action, but he could tell by her composure and scars that she definitely was 'Humanity's [Second] Strongest Soldier'. After the description of Sasha's battle, Niccolo started to interject with jokes and questions.__

____

__

Niccolo joked, "I'm surprise you're still alive after all of that, especially after punching Mikasa out of all people." Sasha responded with another hearty laugh, "Mikasa wouldn't kill me! She's mean and scary, but not as mean and scary as you think."

He wasn't too sure about Sasha's claim, but he couldn't dispute it. After all, he barely knew Mikasa. Therefore, Niccolo carried on with a question, "So, did you win?"

A thick layer of tension and silence suddenly filled the atmosphere. A darkness clouded her eyes as she looked away with a flustered expression.

"Um... well, I got tired out... and next thing I know, I'm tied up to a pole."

Her words were followed by another brief moment of silence.

That silence was ended by a surge of mirth overwhelmed Niccolo.

He laughed. It was the first time in a while since he _genuinely_ laughed. Moments of happiness like this didn't come easy as a Marleyan soldier. Most of the time, he was held down by the dark memories and thoughts of war. It suffocated him. However, in those few moments, Niccolo experienced a genuine happiness. In those few moments, he forgot about the entire damn war that loomed over them. He didn't want this feeling to end.

“Th-they.. had to.. tie you… to a pole?” He struggled to spit his words out between his painful chortles which provoked Sasha to dramatically whine, "Don’t laugh at my pain!” She pivoted with a sharp 'hmph' and folded her arms, turning her head upright in a playful scoff. "You're so cruel, Mister Niccolo," Sasha huffed, peering at him over her shoulder; her lips quivered in an attempt to restrain a smile.

"I'm sorry," he managed to rasp, still fighting through relentless giggles. "You're.. one crazy girl," he said, wiping a tear from his eye as he straightened his posture.

“I know,” Sasha turned, giving him a mischievous smirk that seemed to liquify his insides. A fuzzy feeling seized him and he could feel his cheeks starting to sting once more.

  


* * *

  


It should’ve ended there. Sasha should’ve returned to her comrades while Niccolo returned to the volunteer campgrounds. But if it did end there, then the two wouldn’t be sitting in the small dining hall together talking as if they were old friends. If they had parted ways, Niccolo was positive he’d still be riddled with anxiety about the damned war he was dragged into. He knew he should feel guilty for fraternizing with the enemy, but how could she be the enemy when he was no longer a soldier? 

At first, Niccolo was anxious that the two’s opposing groups would grow worried and seek them out. However, Sasha brushed off his concerns with a reassuring smile, “My friends know that I can take care of myself,” then she sat her hand on top of his, “and I’m sure your friends know that you can do the same.”

He should’ve pulled his hand away and rejected her friendliness, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to lose the feeling of serenity she gave him. So, he stayed.


End file.
